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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shefi; 1.

0. WRIGHT. V SHEET METAL SEAMING MACHINE.

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A 4 WITNE66E6 INVENTOR N. PEIERS. Flwlouzhn m hur. Washington, ILC.

('No Model.) 2 sheens -sneeb 2;

G. WRIGHT.

SHEET METAL SEAMING MACHINE;

N0. 284,584. Patented Sept. 4, 1883. I

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALEB \VRIGHT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH B.ROHRMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

SHEET-M ETA-L-SEAMINIG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,584, datedSeptember 4, 1883.

' Application filed June 11, 1853. (No model.)

T ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OA-LEB WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Sheet-Metal-Seaming Machines,

of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct a machine for rapidly andeffectively double seaming the j oints of sheet-metal cans orboxes 1o ofsquare or other angular shape; and this obj ect I attain in the mannerhereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figures 1, 2, and 3, Sheet 1, are diagrams illustrating thecharacter of the work to be performed by the machine, only those partsof the machine necessary to an explanation of the operations being shownin these views. Fig. 4, Sheet 1, is a longitudinal section. Fig. 5 is adetached view, and Figs. 6 and 7, Sheet 2, are respectively a front viewand a plan View of an organized machine constructed in accordance withmy invention.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 00 m represent the sides of a can, and in Fig. 3 yrepresents the bottom of the same, the shape of the can in the presentinstance being quadrangular.

Before being subjected to the action of my machine, the corners of thecan are united by single-scan1ingthat is to say, a plain flange on oneedge of one side sheet is adapted to a hooked flange on the adjoiningedge of the next side sheet, as shown in Fig. 1,the duty of the machinebeing to bend down these single seams against the sides of the can, soas to form a double seam. The can, having its corners single-seamed, is

laid upon the table or bed A of the machine, the

rear seam of the can bearing against a grooved gagebar, B, on the bed,and the latter being so adjustedthat the front seam overhangs the frontedge of the table, as shown in Fig. 1, a block, D, being then insertedinside the can close against the front side of the same and clampeddown, so as to hold the can firmly to the.tab1e.

A bar, F, is pivoted at its opposite ends to the table A, the centersoflthe pivots being in line with the top and front edges of the table,said bar resting against the front edge of the table when depressed, andhaving an upper face flush with the top of the table. This bar F has ahandle, a, and when said handle is drawn up, as shown by the arrow inFig. 1, the upper face of the bar acts upon the overhanging seam of thecan and presses the same 5 5 up against the side of the can, as shown inFig. 2. The bar F is then depressed, the block D removed, and the canreadjusted prior to a repetition of the operation in connection withanother corner seam. WVhen the bottom or top 6 3 yof the can is to beseamed to the sides, however, as shown in-Figu3, the block D cannot beused; and in this case I use a block, G, adapted to rest upon saidbottom or top plate, and to fit snugly to the inside of the can, the 6block being held in place vertically by a rod, 1), pivoted at the upperend, and adapted to bear upon the-block G some distance in ad- Vance ofa vertical line drawn through the pivot, so that the tendency of the rodis to be 0 self-tightening when any backward pressure is exerted uponthe block, the rod being free to swing upward when the can is removedfrom the table. The bottom is single-seamed, as before, and thedouble-seaming is effected 7 by the bar F in the same manner as informing the corner seams, one side after another being acted upon untilthe operation is completed.

The manner in which I prefer to construct and operate the various partsabove-described is shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7.

The gage-bar B slides on the top of the table A, and is confinedvertically and laterally bolts being adapted to and free to slidei-nlongitudinal -shaped grooves e in the bed. The adjustment of thegage-bar is effected by set screws f, which are adapted to threaded lugsf on the rear edge of the table, the points of 0 the screws bearingagainst the rear edge of the gage, and said screws thus serving not onlytoadjust the bar, but also to resist the thrust eX- erted upon the samewhen the bar F is bending the front seam. length equal to the width ofthe largest can to be seamed upon the machine, so that it will bearthroughout upon that edge of the sheet opposite to the edge which isbeing acted upon thereto by bolts (1 and nuts d,the heads of the Thegage-bar Bis of a 5 by the bending-bar, and in order to effectually 10osprings 2" serving to retract the levers when pressure is removed fromthe treadle. The block D is loose and disconnected from the table A orlevers H, in order that it may be readily removed when all four edges ofthe can have been seamed.

The bending-bar F is hung to lugs m on'the bed, and'the acting edge a ofsaid bar is beveled in opposite directions from the center to each end,as shown in Fig. 6, and from edge to edge, as shown in Fig. 4, theobject of thus beveling the bar being to distribute the strain on thesame during the bending operation, and to compensate for the springingof the metal of the can under the action of the bar, and being securedby a set-screw, t.

The retainingrod b is secured by set-screws to a bar, 1;, pivoted at theends to standards P on the table, the rod being adjustable in respect tothe bar, so as to bear properlyupon blocks of diiferent thicknesses, andthe posts being adjustable longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 5, as may bedemanded by cans of differeut sizes, the posts being secured in positionafter adjustment by bolts 2), adapted to slots 22 in the posts. j

The table A, clamp-block D, and bendinghar F'are all slotted for thereception of the ribs or flanges with which the sides of cans aresometimes provided.

Instead of employing a self-tightening rod, 1), for the purpose ofretaining the block G, a

rod acted upon by cams orby ascrew carried by the bar 19 may beemployed, the device shown being preferred, however, as the simplest.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of the table A and thepivoted bending-bar F with the disconnected clamping-blockD and withmeans for depressing the same, as set forth.

2. The combination of the table A, the bending-bar, and theclamping-block with the gagebar B, constructed to bear throughout uponvthat edge of the sheet opposite to the edge which is being bent, andcombined near each end with a clamping-bolt, d, and a set-screw, f, thelatter being adapted to lugs on the table and bearing on the rear edgeof the bar, as set forth.

3. The combination of the table A and clamp ing-block with a pivotedbending-bar, F, the

acting face of which is beveled in opposite di f rections from thecenter to each end, as set forth 4. The combination of the table A, thepivoted bending-bar F, and the clamping-block G with the pivotedretaining rod b, as set forth.

5. The combination of the table A, the pivoted bending-bar F, the blockG, the adjustable posts P, the bar 1), pivoted thereto, and theretaining-rod b, adjustable in said bar 1), as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this Specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

XVitnesses:

JOHN E. PARKER, HARRY SMITH.

CALEB WRIGHT.

